Catherine Mardon is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

writer, activist, and lawyer.

Biography

Catherine Mardon was born in

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, but spent many years living in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the List of municipalities in Florida, fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the sta ...

. She currently lives in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Her academic background includes a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

, a Juris Doctor from the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

, and a Bachelor of Art from Newman University. She received a Master's degree in Theological Studies from Newman Theological College in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, Canada. Mardon is a social activist, having worked for family farmers, with

ecumenical Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...

organizations, for the homeless, and as a speaker on social justice issues. She was admitted to the Oklahoma Bar in 1988. Her legal practice also included archdiocesan tribunal work,

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

appeals, and a variety of

low income Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...

concerns. Mardon was also a

mediation Mediation is a structured, voluntary process for resolving disputes, facilitated by a neutral third party known as the mediator. It is a structured, interactive process where an independent third party, the mediator, assists disputing parties ...

trainer responsible for the recruitment, training, supervision and evaluation of over 180 volunteer mediators. After being attacked in 1991 for providing testimony against the leader of a white supremacist group, which left her with physical injuries, a traumatic brain injury and PTSD, she became an advocate for the disabled. Mardon has written many books on mental illness and a series of children's books that have been translated into 18 different languages. She is married to fellow writer and activist

Austin Mardon Dr. Austin Albert Mardon, Ph.D. Order of Canada, CM Order of St. Sylvester, KCSS Fellowship of the Royal Society, FRSC Royal Canadian Geographical Society, FRCGS is an associate adjunct professor at the University of Alberta's John Dossetor H ...

Bibliography

* ''Curveballs'' (2012) * ''Gandy and Parker Escape the Zoo: An Illustrated Adventure'' (2013, with Austin Mardon) * ''Screwballs'' (2015) * ''Gandy and the Princess'' (2015, with Austin Mardon) * ''Gandy and the Cade''t (2015) * ''Gandy and the Man in White'' (2016, with Austin Mardon) * ''Gandy and the Man in Black''. (2016) * Gandy and the Underwater City(2017) * Gandy and the Sea Cow(2016) * Gandy and the Mastodon(2015) * Gandy At the Beach (2017) * Gandy and the Fiddler (2017) * Gandy and the Lumberjack (2017) * Gandy and the Bonefish (2017) * Gandy and the Lady (2018) * Gandy and Christopher * Gandy and the Musician (2017) * Gandy and the Piper * Canadian Polar Explorers * Alphabet Soup * Therapeutic Parenting * Hoarding the Family Secret Behind Closed Doors. * Listen to the Right Voices: Pastoral Care of Persons with Schizophrenia * The A Word * How to Build and Maintain Relationships with Mental Illness

Awards and honors

*Dame Commander in the

Order of St. Sylvester The Pontifical Equestrian Order of Saint Sylvester (, ), sometimes referred to as the Sylvestrine Order, or the Pontifical Order of Pope Saint Sylvester, is one of five orders of knighthood awarded directly by the Pope as Supreme Pontiff and hea ...

, a Papal Knighthood(2017) *Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers(2018) *King Charles III Coronation Medal (2025) * Institute of International Peace Leader’s Peace Award (2025) * Leon A. McNeill Distinguished Alumni Award, Newman University (2022) * Honour Officer, Alberta Royal Canadian Army Cadets (2018) * Regent's Distinguished Scholar - Oklahoma State University * Marian Medal - National Conference of Catholic Bishops *

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal () or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. There are four versions of the medal: one iss ...

(2012) * Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (2022) * Diocesan Officer -

Catholic Women's League The Catholic Women's League (CWL) is a Catholic lay organisation founded in 1906 by Margaret Fletcher. Originally intended to bring together Catholic women in England, the organization has grown, and may be found in numerous Commonwealth count ...

* Edmonton Archdiocese * 2016 True Grit Award - The Lieutenant Governor of Alberta's Circle on Mental Health and Addiction * Former President – Catholic Women's League, St. Alphonsus, Edmonton * Former President – Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mardon, Catherine Canadian lawyers Canadian women non-fiction writers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Canadian women children's writers